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Comments on the Record Winning Streak

Comments on the Connecticut women’s basketball team’s record winning streak. The top-ranked Huskies beat No. 22 Florida State 93-62 on Tuesday night for their 89th consecutive victory, surpassing the 88-game run by John Wooden’s UCLA men’s team from 1971-74.

“My grandfather would have been thrilled. He would have been absolutely thrilled to see his streak broken by a women’s basketball team. And he thought, especially in the last 10 years, that the best basketball was played at the collegiate level– and it wasn’t by the men.” — Greg Wooden, grandson of former UCLA coach John Wooden.

“Obviously, they’ve had tremendous success. They know how to win. To break that record is amazing.” —Tennessee coach Pat Summitt.

“I think maybe it’s a little bit of a double-edged sword. On one side, I think it’s great to see the attention, ESPN and the
national news, and I think it’s a tremendous record. It’s spectacular. … On the other side, in any sport, if there’s clear
dominance night in and night out, I’m not sure that’s always fun and always good for the sport.”– Michigan State women’s basketball coach Suzy Merchant, who coached UConn stars Maya Moore and Tiffany Hayes as an assistant for USA Basketball at the 2009 World University Games.

“It’s proving very simply that they’re the greatest women’s program in the history of women’s basketball. The streak is the greatest women’s feat that you can have.”– Connecticut men’s basketball coach Jim Calhoun.

“People talk about John Wooden, well you’ve got to talk about Geno Auriemma in the same vein, the best coach in the history of basketball, be it men’s or women’s. He should get his due and his team should get its due and to do it over a period of years like that with different players is incredible.” — UConn football coach Randy Edsall.

“While we were doing it, we didn’t look at it as winning for the streak, we looked at it as winning for the UConn on our chest, for the former players developed at this university and just going out and having fun.” —Former UConn center Tina Charles, the 2009-10 national player of the year.

“It’s kind of unreal. For me to be a part of this school and be able to witness this, it’s real special.”– UConn men’s guard Kemba Walker.

“Just when you think the program can’t go to another level, it goes to another level. He (Auriemma) can downplay this all he wants, but this is still an amazing thing to do for the sport of women’s basketball, for the school, for athletics.” — Kara Wolters, center on UConn’s 1995 national championship team, and former national player of the year.

“It’s really something special to watch. Both UCLA and UConn’s streaks have been something special. Neither team ever took a night off.” — Former UConn guard Sue Bird, 2002 national player of theyear.

“I was part of a streak at Louisiana Tech that they broke … when I was a player there. I thought it would take a long time to break it and they did. They broke it, now they’ve broken their own record. It’s a testament to Geno, it’s a testament to those players, it’s a testament to that program. Gosh, they’re good.” –Baylor women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey.